Shakespeare for Squirrels by Christopher Moore

Shakespeare for Squirrels

by Christopher Moore

New York Times Bestseller!

Shakespeare meets Dashiell Hammett in this wildly entertaining murder mystery from New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore—an uproarious, hardboiled take on the Bard’s most performed play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, featuring Pocket, the hero of Fool and The Serpent of Venice, along with his sidekick, Drool, and pet monkey, Jeff.

Set adrift by his pirate crew, Pocket of Dog Snogging—last seen in The Serpent of Venice—washes up on the sun-bleached shores of Greece, where he hopes to dazzle the Duke with his comedic brilliance and become his trusted fool.

But the island is in turmoil. Egeus, the Duke’s minister, is furious that his daughter Hermia is determined to marry Demetrius, instead of Lysander, the man he has chosen for her. The Duke decrees that if, by the time of the wedding, Hermia still refuses to marry Lysander, she shall be executed . . . or consigned to a nunnery. Pocket, being Pocket, cannot help but point out that this decree is complete bollocks, and that the Duke is an egregious weasel for having even suggested it. Irritated by the fool’s impudence, the Duke orders his death. With the Duke’s guards in pursuit, Pocket makes a daring escape.

He soon stumbles into the wooded realm of the fairy king Oberon, who, as luck would have it, IS short a fool. His jester Robin Goodfellow—the mischievous sprite better known as Puck—was found dead. Murdered. Oberon makes Pocket an offer he can’t refuse: he will make Pocket his fool and have his death sentence lifted if Pocket finds out who killed Robin Goodfellow. But as anyone who is even vaguely aware of the Bard’s most performed play ever will know, nearly every character has a motive for wanting the mischievous sprite dead.

With too many suspects and too little time, Pocket must work his own kind of magic to find the truth, save his neck, and ensure that all ends well.

A rollicking tale of love, magic, madness, and murder, Shakespeare for Squirrels is a Midsummer Night’s noir—a wicked and brilliantly funny good time conjured by the singular imagination of Christopher Moore.

Reviewed by Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub on

4 of 5 stars

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I am both surprised and excited to say that I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It is available for purchase now.

Funny, witty, and a bit heavy on the raunch, this is Christopher Moore in top form. Shakespeare for Squirrels felt like having a conversation with someone while incredibly sleep-deprived: not much makes sense, and it’s all hilarious anyway. While this book is technically a continuation of a storyline (Pocket the Fool is a recurring character), you don’t need to read any of the previous books to enjoy this one. All you need is a healthy appreciation for the absurd.

This isn’t a satire of A Midsummer Night’s Dream; it’s a full-out mugging. If you have a deep respect for Shakespeare in its original form, this might be a bit too much for you. Honestly, though, the Bard had a dirty mind himself, it seems to me. It’s about time someone pointed that out.

Pocket is still very much Pocket, meaning he’s a delightful mess. I love that character, and it was a blast to see him again. The author’s train of thought sometimes jumped its track, going from odd to utterly ridiculous, but in the very best way. If Monty Python wrote books of their skits instead of performing them on TV, the results might be something similar to this.

If you don’t care for dirty humor, this book won’t be up your alley. If you like books that lovingly mock Shakespeare, if you like irreverent humor, and if you find yourself cackling at risque comments, this book is for you.

https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2020/08/13/shakespeare-for-squirrels-by-christopher-moore/

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 January, 2020: Finished reading
  • 1 January, 2020: Reviewed